Modular conveyor systems using a plurality of standardized, stock components are well known in the art. Using these standardized components, a conveyor system can be custom designed for a particular layout and constructed from a collection of standard components such as a conveyor beam, side rails, chains, and chain drives using standard fasteners and bracketry.
Such a prior art modular conveyor still requires a relatively large number of labor intensive steps for assembly, such as for example bolting of the side rails to the conveyor beam along longitudinally extending T-slots in the beam. Also, if the conveyor beam is a continuously extruded piece, usually of aluminum, that is relatively expensive and results in the conveyor raceway having few downwardly directed open areas for dirt and other debris to exit the raceway to keep the raceway clean. Instead, such debris can collect on the beam and after a sufficiently long operational period can foul the conveyor and lead to rough spots, hang-ups, and even breakdowns.
See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,511,031; 4,535,963; 4,597,492.
It is also known in the prior art to assemble conveyor systems by using one piece of stock to form the raceway floor, while two other pieces of similar stock are welded to the sides of said one piece to form a U-shaped channel along which are placed chain support rails such as metal rods for providing a surface along which the chain travels. It is known to undulate the rails back and forth across the raceway, such as for example in a sinusoidal-like fashion; otherwise, were the rods placed at only one transverse position along the entire raceway, these rods could soon wear grooves into said chain due to normal wear and tear from abrading of the chain lower surface as the chain is pulled over the rails. Such a basic conveyor system is relatively labor intensive and time consuming to build because of the number of assembly steps required, such as for example welding the three pieces of stock together. Also, the finished conveyor has a substantially continuous floor under the raceway for collecting debris. Such a floor can be a problem, particularly where the articles being transported by said conveyor along said raceway are machined articles that may have burrs or other particles clinging thereto, which particles can tend to fall off into and clog the conveyor raceway.